Obesity and its related disorders is becoming a very serious and world wide health problem. The prevalence of obesity and its related disorders is increasing epidemically, and is associated with a major reduction in the quality of life for patients and with enormous health care cost for the society1. Prevention strategies have not only proven to preserve the functional abilities of potential diabetics, but also to be a national investment with the potential for a significant return2,3. Therefore, the implementation of effective intervention strategies seems prudent4.
Obesity-induced pathology is linked with the development of impaired glucose tolerance due to both impaired insulin secretion and increased insulin resistance. Obesity is associated with a cluster of disorders, such as type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cancer, including but not limited to colon cancer, rectal cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, uterine cancer, kidney cancer, endometrial cancer, gall bladder cancer, thyroid cancer, liver cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, stomach cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and reproductive disorders, including but not limited to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCO), infertility, and impotency or erectile dysfunction. It has been shown, that by reducing the fat in the diet combined with daily exercise, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes can be reduced by 58%5. This improvement exceeded the gains observed after pharmacological intervention, such as with metformin. Weight loss programs however, are often not successful over longer periods, and patients tend to regain weight and return to their previous bodyweight after termination of intensive monitoring. Thus, permanently reducing bodyweight, as a preventive measure for obesity-induced disorders, seems increasingly difficult. Presently, only surgical modulation of the gastrointestinal tract has been proven successful for a prolonged period of time. Pharmaceutically, a reduction of bodyweight has been proven difficult; therefore the current treatment of obese patients is aimed at preventing or ameliorating their complications due to obesity. The current conventional therapies are not adequate; therefore alternative ways to prevent the obesity-related disorders are needed.